


Nothing?

by caneeljoy



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Character's Name Spelled as Viktor, Oneshot, emo music, musician!yuuri, talent scout AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-20
Updated: 2017-10-20
Packaged: 2019-01-20 03:11:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12423867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caneeljoy/pseuds/caneeljoy
Summary: I'm alive. Here's a little something especially for the people who haven't unsubbed from my account because of my inactivity. (Everyone else is certainly welcome as well ^_^)Yuuri's song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMihKmoYfe8





	Nothing?

**Author's Note:**

> I'm alive. Here's a little something especially for the people who haven't unsubbed from my account because of my inactivity. (Everyone else is certainly welcome as well ^_^)  
> Yuuri's song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMihKmoYfe8

The room was crowded, the chatter of patrons buzzing below the frantic music of the live band. Viktor draped his coat over his chair and sat.

"Welcome to Marnie's!" A smiling waitress had already appeared at his shoulder. "What can I get for you?"

“A vodka martini, dry, please,” he said, letting his natural accent roll over the syllables. Nodding, the waitress hurried away, cheeks flushed.

Viktor unfolded a worn purple-and-black flyer: Marnie's latest advertisement for open mic night. Yakov had ripped him a new one that morning, claiming Viktor's laziness was making their profits stall. Viktor recalled with some chagrin how red his supervisor’s face had been, and how he’d yelled so loud that everyone around turned to stare.

“You’re a talent scout, aren’t you?! I pay you good money, don’t I?!?” he'd shouted.

 _“Yes…?”_ Viktor’s _“and?”_ had been quiet but not unheard.

“So s _cout! Talent!”_

Yakov’s threat had been pretty serious: if Viktor didn’t bring at least one new audition, he’d be out of a job. Viktor knew from experience that Yakov wasn't usually serious with threats like that, but Viktor didn't want to take chances. He had Makka to think of, after all.

The band packed up and shuffled offstage. A perky blonde woman replaced them, breathing heavily into the microphone before making an announcement in a thick Southern accent.

“Hey, y’all!” Her teeth were shock-white behind her dark lips. “Hope y’all are ready for a real treat t’night, we've got some real talented young folks performing for you! Alright, please welcome the first act of t’night’s Open Mic!”

A harried-looking girl with extensions slipping down her shoulders stumbled onstage. Maybe she expected an introduction? Viktor watched the smile drop off the blonde woman’s face as she tottered over to the bar and started drowning her sorrows in alcohol.

By the time the fifth act had wrapped up, Viktor was beginning to wish that _he_ could drown _his_ sorrows in alcohol. But he was supposed to be sober (or mostly sober, at least) on the job, which meant he had to witness every single catastrophic performance Marnie's had in store.

Maybe, Viktor thought, that was a little harsh. It was hard not to be a little cynical after sitting through six minutes of a Te$ha mashup sung by a middle school girl. Did she even know what half those lyrics _meant?_

“Thank y’all so much for your support!” the woman said, taking the microphone after the scattered applause died out. “We’ve got one last act for y’all t’night, and he’s the real deal, folks! Alrighty then, without further ado, it’s Yari Watsky!”

A black-haired boy stepped onto the stage, looking like he was marching to an execution by guillotine. Somebody in the audience whooped; the boy’s brown eyes sizzled out at whoever it was, and the whoop cut out.

Viktor reached for his drink and was dismayed to find the alcohol gone. He wasn’t even buzzed! Leaning back in his chair, he sighed, reaching for his coat. Maybe he’d find better performers (or at least some basic talent) somewhere further uptown-

Acoustic guitar sounded from the speakers... nothing new. The boy's voice was tremulous and soft, hardly even registering through the speakers. He sang a good eight measures at the noise level of a mouse. 

 _“C’mon,_ Yuuri!” somebody yelled. “You can do better than _that!”_

The boy’s — Yuuri’s? — eyes snapped with anger again, but his voice lifted, and Viktor’s fingers dropped from his empty glass. This boy was a _real_ tenor, and this boy could _sing._  There was a quality to his voice, a gentle vibrato, a conviction that attracted the ear. The mood in the room shifted, and Viktor leaned forward, hands resting on his knees.

Yuuri moved into the first chorus. There was true sorrow behind his words. The spotlight created a halo around him; Viktor saw his eyes were closed behind his glasses.

People had started paying attention to Yuuri. Somebody cheered when his voice cracked at the end of the second chorus.

He shouted the bridge, gripping the mic stand. Then, he drew back into himself and sang softly, and launched back into the final chorus. By the time he finished, gasping for breath, the crowd was roaring.

The woman was at the microphone again, but Viktor was on his feet and pushing his way through the crowd. The only thought in his mind was this:  _he had to meet this boy._

“You can’t go back there,” said a bouncer, large hand on Viktor’s shoulder. “Performers only.”

“I’m a talent scout,” Viktor said. “I need to speak with-”

“Oh, let him go, Waterman.” The woman appeared, tossing her blonde curls over one shoulder and batting her eyelashes at Viktor. “I do hope you enjoyed the show.”

“Yes, well, some of it more than the rest,” Viktor said, moving past the two of them.

In front of him, a large room teemed with the friends and family of the six performers. Viktor only had eyes for Yuuri.

The dark-haired boy was standing off to the side, slumped against the wall. Another boy was talking to him in a low voice.

“Excuse me,” Viktor said as he approached.

“Yuuri,” the second boy said. When Yuuri looked up, Viktor almost forgot his own name.  _Almost._

“Hello, Yuuri,” Viktor said, extending a hand. “My name is Viktor Nikiforov.”

Yuuri accepted the handshake, refusing to meet Viktor’s eyes. His fingers were slender and sweaty. “Hi,” he mumbled.

“Your performance was impressive.”

“Don’t flatter me,” Yuuri said in that same soft voice. “I went flat two times in the same place in both verses. I was so quiet. I-”

“Have untapped potential,” Viktor interrupted. He fished around in his pocket, then produced a business card. “And plenty of it.” He winked at Yuuri and offered him the card. “I’m a talent scout, Yuuri; I think I know talent when I hear it.”

Yuuri blinked at him, something like suspicion or disbelief furrowing his brow. He took the card, hands shaking.

“I’ll give you time to think it over,” said Viktor, beginning to back away. “If you’d like an audition, I'm only a call away. I know the panel and I can put in a good word for you. Let's speak soon!”

When Viktor glanced behind him, Yuuri and his friend were both staring after him.

On the taxi ride back to his apartment, the only thing he could think of was the light reflected in Yuuri’s eyes.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> I've had this idea for a long time, ever since I heard the song on the radio and thought "wow, I bet Yuuri's voice would fit well with this!" And I should confess: I have no clue how this would be continued, or what I'd do with it if I did, so I'll probably keep it as an open-ended oneshot unless I get a burst of inspiration!
> 
> Life has been insanely busy. I'm hoping to post a little more after midterms, when college apps are all finished and homework (and studying!) eases up a little. Expect a little more around next February for sure, and intermittently sooner! I've been dabbling in a few different fandoms (Mirai Nikki, Hamilton, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) but I know I have a wide audience for this fandom, and I wrote this in 1 hour fueled by coffee and the hope that my old readers will like hearing from me again :)
> 
> Love you all! Thanks for reading :P
> 
> Edit: improved and tweaked. Thank you all so much for your continued support!!


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